Bloomberg TV Announces Partnership with Optima Media Group

The Bloomberg Media Group, a division Bloomberg L.P., today announced a multi-year rolling partnership agreement with Nigeria-based content provider, Optima Media Group, strengthening Bloomberg's position as a leading supplier of global business and financial news television across the African continent. This partnership will create a new entity - Bloomberg Television Africa.

Launching in the second half of this year, Optima Media Group will produce three to four hours of business programming per day which will be available to African viewers across the continent via Bloomberg's English-language EMEA feed. Optima Media Group will engage its existing content and distribution channels to supplement Bloomberg's English-language international news and analysis across Africa.

"The agreement with Optima Media Group will dramatically accelerate Bloomberg Television's presence and reach in Africa," says Andy Lack, CEO Bloomberg Media Group. "It is the latest component of our wider strategy to partner with leading providers in markets that have a compelling economic growth story. This has already seen us strike similar partnerships in India, Turkey, Mongolia and The Middle East. In doing so, we are able to provide viewers with the sharpest global business and financial insight as well as highly-localised and market specific content."

"Bloomberg Television Africa will provide a dynamic and relevant context for the coverage of financial news across the continent. The programming will highlight the business in everyone - from everyone in business," said Rotimi Pedro, Group CEO at Optima Media Group Ltd. "We look forward to working closely with Bloomberg Television to bring together top CEOs, policymakers and thought leaders to explore what fuels African growth."

Localised and internationAl Bloomberg Television content will be packaged and distributed via satellite delivery and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) as well as traditional terrestrial formats. The partnership deal applies to all of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Content will be produced in Lagos, Johannesburg, London and Nairobi with dedicated presenters, reporters and producers based in each market.

An executive producer from Bloomberg will be appointed to work alongside Optima Media Group to assist in the production of the channel's economic and business coverage drawing on Bloomberg's extensive financial and economic data from the Bloomberg Professional service and reporting from Bloomberg's 2,400 journalists in 146 news bureaux across 72 countries.

Bloomberg is the global business and financial information and news leader giving influential decision Makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The company's strength-delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately-is at the core of the Bloomberg Professional service, which provides real time financial information to more than 315,000 subscribers globally.

Bloomberg News has grown into one of the world's largest and most influential news organisations since its inception in 1990. With more than 2,400 news professionals in 146 bureaux across 72 countries, Bloomberg News produces more than 5,000 stories every day and its content is Syndicated to more than 440 newspapers, magazines and websites in 65 countries with a combined circulation of 78 million.

Bloomberg Television is part of Bloomberg's Media Group together with Bloomberg Businessweek, Bloomberg Markets and Bloomberg Pursuits magazines, Bloomberg Radio, Bloomberg.com, Bloombergbusinessweek.com and our consumer mobile and tablet platforms. It is available as a linear channel to more than 300 million households globally across 200 countries and territories. In the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, Bloomberg Television is available in 204 million households and more than 350,000 hotel rooms.

Streamed live to the 315,000 Bloomberg Professional service subscribers, Bloomberg Television is also broadcast across central banks, investment institutions, commercial banks, government offices and agencies, law firms, corporations and news organisations.

About Optima Media Group:

Optima Media Group's business network spans Africa, Europe and the US and is a platform for the flow of IP, funding and skills. The content provider focuses on combining an international perspective with Africa execution, operating to international standards with the aim of creating market defining opportunities.

The group seeks to be at the forefront of Africa's unprecedented economic growth which is rapidly integrating into the Global Media Village. Optima Media Group provides diverse content platforms for major international and local brands to enter the African market, with experience in television advertising, sponsorship as well as offering infrastructure needs across the film and television industry.